In the interest of truly “checking out” and taking a well-earned vacation, I booked out with my voice over agents. I warned the agents and any client I did a job for within 3 weeks of my departure that I would not be bringing my travel mic with me. Since I was traveling overseas, I didn’t want to bring the travel mic, even though it only adds a couple of extra pounds to the travel weight. I was determined to get away from it all!
Cut to the middle of the Southern Italian countryside, where I decided to check my email after five days of blissful radio silence. Sitting there in the inbox was a request marked URGENT! A client needed a few pickup sentences, and could I just knock them out on my travel mic and shoot them over to my agents asap? I panicked and started googling recording studios in Puglia. I asked my Italian host to call the studios, and none were open. The Italian host said he “knew a guy,” and I waited for several hours for my savior to arrive. Thank goodness the “guy” was a local DJ and had a mic and a MacBook Pro. I recorded my lines under a blanket in a very echo-y medieval Italian villa, and sent the lines to the client, hoping the sound discrepancy wouldn’t be an issue. I wished that day that I had just sucked it up and brought the travel mic. I would’ve made the client happy, and I wouldn’t have spent an entire day in Europe waiting on someone else to come do me a (very much appreciated) favor.
The day I landed back in the states, I received another urgent email from my agent saying, “When you were in Italy, the client sent the wrong script for pickups. Please re-record with this correct script ASAP!” All that running around for naught, but thanks to my agents, I got paid for both pickup sessions. Next time, however, I will always have the travel mic with me.